The present invention relates to the dental floss threader arts, including a novel and improved dental floss threader, a method for making such a dental floss threader and methods of dental flossing using such a dental floss threader.
Dental floss is highly recommended and widely used in oral hygiene for cleaning areas and surfaces between abutting dental structures such as teeth, prosthetics and orthodontic devices. When used between teeth, dental floss is typically worked downwardly from a top surface of the teeth toward the gum line between abutting or adjacent surfaces. Once the floss is inserted between adjacent or abutting teeth, it is worked back and forth along each surface to remove undesirable particles and substances.
While it is generally uncomplicated to floss between teeth where at least a nominal space is available to insert a piece of floss, it is very difficult to insert floss between teeth which are tightly abutting or between prosthodontics such as artificial teeth or bridge work. Further, it is essentially impossible to insert a single thread of floss underneath such prosthodontic devices without the aid of a threading device.
Attempts to provide threading devices to insert floss between tight spaces or under prosthodontic devices have generally produced needle-like devices through which floss is threaded. These needle-like devices are inserted through any available gap between or near the structures to be flossed and then completely pulled through the gap in order to feed the floss through.
While typical prior art devices arguably provide a method of threading dental floss, they are often difficult to use and tend not to achieve their purpose. Many prior art floss threaders require regimens and if the regimen requires effort on the part of the user the user tends to not follow the regimen ultimately resulting in the failure of the device. For example, a device for inserting dental floss through interproximal areas is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,144 to Tarrson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,658 to Tarrson et al. The device shown in the Tarrson et al. patents is essentially a needle having an enlarged loop at the end thereof. Dental floss must be inserted into the loop by the user prior to threading the floss into interproximal areas. This type of device thus requires additional effort and preparation on the part of the user and therefore tends to discourage use of the device as frequently as may be desirable.
Further, a device as shown in the Tarrson et al. patents requires that the user keep on hand both a supply of needle-like floss threading devices as well as floss. As an additional matter, some areas may be too small or confined to permit insertion of the needle-like device and the large loop. Such small areas may, therefore, be neglected when flossing, leading to potential oral hygiene complications.
Other attempts to resolve the problems of flossing as noted above are not believed to have succeeded. For example, one prior art solution was to coat the tip of predetermined lengths of floss with a material to make the tip rigid. This was believed to permit insertion of the floss itself in a needle-like manner between dental structures including very small spaces. However, due to the nature of dental floss, it is difficult to provide a sufficiently stiff coating to structurally support direct insertion between dental structures.